Meet our team
actual sunset view from the office!
Ellen Leffler
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HUMAN GENETICS
Ellen completed a BA in Biology at Amherst College and an MPhil in Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. She then spent a year studying Mandarin in Lanzhou, China before pursuing a PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Chicago with Molly Przeworski. She worked with Chris Spencer and Dominic Kwiatkowski at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford as a postdoctoral fellow. In February 2020, she began her position at the University of Utah, where she holds a Mario Capecchi endowed chair. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family and experiencing the varied Utah landscapes.
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Erica Hastings
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (joint with the Sigala Lab)
Erica earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). She then spent three years at the NIH working at the Vaccine Research Center, developing therapeutics for malaria, Ebola, and HIV. She moved out to the mountains to complete her PhD in biochemistry in Paul Sigala’s lab and is now a postdoc with both the Sigala and Leffler groups. In her free time, she likes being outside and can be found biking, hiking, camping, skiing, or just walking her dog around the block.
Helena Hopson
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER
Helena studied Biomedical Science and Geography at Texas A&M University as an undergraduate before joining the Department of Human Genetics as a graduate student in 2020, and graduating in 2025. Her research interests include evolutionary processes, host-pathogen interactions, and comparative genomics. In her free time, she likes to enjoy all of the outdoor activities Utah has to offer, play board games, and explore SLC.
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Heather Evans
PhD STUDENT
Heather earned her B.S. in Genetics, Genomics, and Biotechnology from BYU in 2022. She is interested in population genetics, genetic genealogy and human evolution. Outside of academics, Heather enjoys running, playing tennis and basketball, skiing, and spending time with her dog. She’s also a bit of a microbiome enthusiast and enjoys making homemade yogurt, sourdough, and kefir.
Anayansi Ramirez
Lab Tecnhician
Anayansi completed her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry at Texas Tech University. She did a Master’s Degree in Data Science at Eastern University. She is a Bridges to the Baccalaureate alumna, during which she worked with mosquitoes and ticks. She was a GSRM intern in 2023 and returned as a full-time bioinformatician in 2024. For fun, she likes to cook, spend time outdoors, and watch the sunset.
Lab Alumni
Alejandra Herbert Mainero
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER
Alejandra obtained her bachelor’s and MSc degrees in Biology from Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro in Mexico. She then moved to Scotland for a PhD in Evolutionary Biology with Sarah Reece at the University of Edinburgh. Alejandra is interested in understanding the evolution of malaria-causing parasites, and parasitology has been a common research topic throughout her career. To unravel parasites’ intricate lives, she uses interdisciplinary approaches and has used a wide variety of models, such as maternally transmitted gastric nematodes in sea lions and parasites that cause malaria.
Radek Omelianczyk
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (joint with the Sigala Lab)
Radek completed his BSc at the University of Salzburg in Austria and his MSc at the LMU in Munich, Germany. For his graduate studies, he moved to Singapore where he worked with Peter Preiser at the Nanyang Technological University. He joined the Leffler and Sigala groups at the end of 2022 as a postdoc. He enjoys visiting new places and exploring the unknown in his free time.
Paige Haffener
PhD STUDENT
Paige received her BS in Cell and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Oklahoma City University. During her time at OCU, she did two and a half years of research in the Mullen lab studying synaptic transmission in C. elegans. In August of 2019, she moved to Utah to pursue a Ph.D. in Genetics. When she is not working in the lab or studying, she likes to spend her time baking, hiking, and skiing. Paige graduated with her Ph.D. in 2024 and is now a Statistical Geneticist at Galatea Bio.
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Lyra Horton
Lyra is a student at Skyline High School. She worked as an intern in the Leffler Lab, where she gained hands-on experience in programming and other computational aspects of academic research. Through this position, she has been able to both deepen her technical skills and also gain a valuable understanding of the research field. Otherwise, she enjoys nature, baking, and various fiber arts such as knitting and crochet.
Luciana Marchitelli
GSRM intern
Luciana is an undergraduate student at Utah Valley University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biology. In her free time, she likes to read, crochet, and ski.
SLCSE-BEES
Michał is a high school student at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education (SLCSE). He joined the lab for the summer as part of the SLCSE-Boosting Engagement through Experiences in Science (SLCSE-BEES) program.
Brandt Anderson
SLCE-BEES intern
Brandt is a high school student at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education (SLCE). He joined the lab for the summer as part of the SLCE-Boosting Engagement through Experiences in Science (SLCE-BEES) program.
Francesca Noble
NARI intern
Francesca is an undergraduate student at Navajo Technical University majoring in Biology.
Tuyetanh Le
GSRM Intern
Tuyetanh is an undergraduate student at Brown University majoring in Chemical Biology and minoring in Data Fluency. In her free time, she enjoys baking, rock climbing, painting, and stargazing.
Grace Dewyer
NARI Intern (2023)
Grace joined us from her undergraduate studies at Duke University where she is majoring in Native American studies and minoring in Chemistry. Outside of the lab, she likes making crafts and weightlifting. She is currently doing a Master’s in Biomedical Research at the University of Minnesota.
Dariana Rodriguez Purcell
GSRM Intern (2022)
Dariana completed a bachelor’s degree at University of Tampa majoring in Biology as a PreMed student. She is currently an Optometry student at American University of Puerto Rico.
Lennae Nockideneh
NARI Intern (2022)
Lennae studied Food and Health Sciences at Utah Tech University.
Nereyda Martinez
GSRM Intern (2021)
Nereyda completed her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
GSRM is the Genomics Summer Research Program for Magnificents: more information here.
NARI is the Native American Summer Research Internship: more information here.
SLCE-BEES is the Salt Lake Center for Science Education Boosting Engagement through Experiences in Science program: more information here.